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LAND O’LAKES — Sunlake standout running back Nate Johnson’s first-half absence gave senior teammate Naejuan Jackson an opportunity that he ran with. And more often than not he ran until he found paydirt. Jackson had 151 yards rushing with three long touchdowns, and mixed in an 85-yard reception for a ...Read more

Berkeley Prep at Tampa Catholic, 7 Key matchup: Cody Endris vs. Gordon Stetson — Endris, a senior linebacker, leads the Crusaders with 78 tackles. His main job Friday will likely be stopping Stetson, who is averaging more than 113 yards per game and has scored eight rushing touchdowns for the ...Read more

WESLEY CHAPEL — Sunlake held Wesley Chapel, coming off of its first win of the season, to minus-5 yards in the first half. The Wildcats did not attempt a pass in the half. Sunlake was lead by the strong arm of Dayton Feiden who accounted for 195 yards and three ...Read more

TRINITY — Sunlake and Mitchell both had defenses capable of turning a game around, and their steady and reliable running backs were supposed to be front and center throughout a tense showdown between Class 6A, District 6 rivals. But the game Friday night was ultimately decided by big plays through ...Read more

LAND O’LAKES — Sunlake (4-1) overcame heavy rain and sloppy play on offense in the first half to cruise past Ridgewood (2-3) on Friday night, winning 28-0. Key drive: After having a 49-yard touchdown run negated by a penalty, Sunlake looked lost on offense to open the second quarter. But ...Read more

LAND O’LAKES — When the Springstead and Sunlake defenses forced three-and-outs on the opening drives of Friday’s district game, it appeared as if each offense would have to scrap for any yards it could muster, let alone points. Springstead running back Dan Wright had a different plan Taking advantage of ...Read more

Springstead and Sunlake, the two best defenses on the North Suncoast? Most likely. Last year, both teams combined for 10 shutouts and played a physical and ferocious brand of defense on the way to the Class 6A playoffs. So far this season, it has been no different. Sunlake is 3-0 ...Read more

HOLIDAY — Sunlake came into the Shark Tank and kept its perfect season intact. Lead by senior wideout Naejuan Jackson, who had three first-half touchdowns, the Seahawks ran all over the Anclote defense. Key drive: Sunlake set the tempo early on its first drive. Capping a 10-play drive was the ...Read more

Welcome to the Midweek Grab Bag. We suggest you pour yourself a nice cool beverage, find a nice comfortable place to sit, and enjoy a nice bowl of numbers soup. Grab Bag power rankings Here’s what’s hot in high school football right now. 1. Tampa Bay teams: Three teams — ...Read more

4 teams that are better than we thought Hillsborough: We didn’t think the Terriers were bad. But the way the Terriers played defense in the second half against Jefferson, and the play of quarterback Dwayne Lawson, has inspired us. The Terriers’ frenetic and aggressive no-huddle offense is going to be ...Read more

LAND O’LAKES — Not only did River Ridge have to focus on getting past one of Pasco County’s top defensive teams Friday night, but the field proved to be unsurpassable as well. The Royal Knights fell 28-0 to powerhouse Sunlake. Neither team got off to the start it planned. River ...Read more

SMQ Player of the Week: Dillon O’Toole, River Ridge Since getting hired at his alma mater in 2011, River Ridge coach Ryan Benjamin has spent a lot of time thinking about beating Land O’Lakes. He even bought a trophy — a gator mouth embedded on a black marble plaque — ...Read more

4 teams to believe in Lennard: Supporters of Lennard, just 1-19 over the past two seasons, spent the past few days practically guaranteeing the Longhorns would beat East Bay. And, well, boom went the dynamite in a 28-7 win. Gulf: The Bucs have been more awful than the Longhorns recently. ...Read more

DADE CITY — Sunlake’s formula on offense is to run the ball, shove people around and play with the finesse of a smokestack. The main beneficiary of this physical approach is running back Nathan Johnson, who gained 1,504 yards last season. Johnson got plenty of carries in Friday’s season-opener against ...Read more

Once an afterthought, Sunlake vs. Pasco now is one of the most anticipated regular-season openers in the Tampa Bay area. Here are three story lines to follow for Friday night’s game. Exacting revenge For Pasco, beating Sunlake used to be a given, not a goal. Since the Seahawks started their ...Read more